This is an original P4P meme that will highlight one lucky book each Friday that I have been wanting to read. It can be any book, any author, and any genre. There are so many books I want to get my hands on and I add books to my TBR list every day. Here, I will just be discussing the books that I am most excited about reading whether I have wanted to read it since I was a kid or it just came out this year.

Yay! for early twenties love stories that aren’t classified as New Adult or Erotica. I found this book awhile earlier, but have yet to find it at a used bookstore (which in my head has to mean that it is really good!), but when I get another Barnes and Noble gift-card, I am planning on picking it up. My best friend highly recommended it to me and I haven’t read any particularly awful reviews, so I am excited to read my second book by Colleen Hoover.

Slammed is a typical “neighbor romance” where troubled girl lives in one house and then moves in even more emotional boy and when they finally get together, well sparks fly of course. At first they make a great, intense couple, but then something happens that forces their relationship to an end. Between the secrets and passion pulling them together and apart, this read is said to be a roller-coaster.

Definitely my kind of book, especially with it making Goodreads “Best Book Boyfriends” list.

WWW Wednesdays are hosted by Should Be Reading and is a meme where we discuss what we are currently reading, just finished reading, and hope to read next.

I saw that lots of people around the blogosphere were raving about this book, so decided to pick up Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares for myself. I am normally not into reading books that correspond with what part of the year it is, but this year I am kind of, sort of in the mood for Christmas, so I like that this book is set during the Christmas season. I haven’t read anything by these authors before, but in the 50ish pages that I have read, I really like it. The characters, although being sixteen year olds, are very unique and quirky. It is a short, sweet read, but I am excited to dive into it once I complete all of my finals.

The Wolves of Mercy Falls series has been fun, but I am now officially finished. The Read-A-Long was so much fun and I am so so glad that I came across it, because I would never have decided to read the series, if not encouraged by the other readers. It was such a great series full of fantasy and romance and thrill. Definitely one of my new favorites and I can’t wait to read something else that Maggie Stiefvater has written.

I have decided that holiday books are now going to be a thing of mine. I work at a Barnes and Noble on my school’s campus and my cash register is right in front of the books. It is practically torture having to stand there and read all the titles and admire all of the cover art and never being able to actually read the synopsis’s of them. Well that all changed today. I wasn’t working today and I decided to go in a treat myself. So I bought Let It Snow and a few others and I am so ready to read them.

It’s Tuesday and as I looked around it seems that almost every book blogger has participated in Top Ten Tuesday, so I will too. Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is: Top Ten New To Me Authors.

Veronica Roth — I received the first two books in this series for Christmas and got started reading them at the very beginning of the new year. Definitely a fan of the Divergent series, although I thought the ending could have been better.

Beth Harbison — So far she has been a one-hit-wonder for me. On a whim I bought one of her books at a secondhand shop and didn’t love it, but enjoyed it. Will read another eventually.

Diane Chamberlain — The book I read by her was definitely a let down. I had heard such good things about her writing, but didn’t think it was up to par.

Cassandra Clare — I began the Mortal Instruments series over the summer and although I am only two books in, I am hooked! Can’t wait to complete the series and start her others.

Heather Gudenkauf — She has also been a one-hit-wonder, but I am dying to read more by her. The first, and only, book I have read by her, I completed within 12 hours. So good!

Gayle Forman — When I found out If I Stay was becoming a movie, I decided it was time to read the book. I liked it a lot, but am deciding whether the sequel is worth reading.

Emily Giffin — The book I read by her was a let down as well. I had heard great things about her work, but I just didn’t like it as much as others. I am contemplating trying another.

James Dashner — Mastermind behind the Maze Runner series; I read the first book before I saw the movie, but I wasn’t THAT impressed. It didn’t suck me in like others have, but I still want to find out what is in store next.

Jamie McGuire — I will gladly admit that I am a fan of the “Beautiful” series. Yes, there were things in there that I disagree with, but they are extremely addicting books. I can’t wait to read about the rest of the Maddox boys.

Maggie Stiefvater — I joined a read-a-long in order to read her Wolves of Mercy Falls series and was taken by great surprise. Her writing is wonderful and I enjoyed the series so much!

It was the first time I’d really realized I’d lost my soul and that the beauty of not having a soul was that you couldn’t seem to care that you no longer had one.

Title: Sinner

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

# of Pages: 357

Published: July 1, 2014

Rating:

Synopsis:

found.
Cole St. Clair has come to California for one reason: to get back Isabel Culpeper. She fled from his damaged, drained life, and damaged and drained it even more. He doesn’t just want her. He needs her.lost.
Isabel is trying to build herself a life in Los Angeles. It’s not really working. She can play the game as well as all the other fakes. But what’s the point? What is there to win?sinner.
Cole and Isabel share a past that never seemed to have a future. They have the power to love each other and the power to tear each other apart. The only thing for certain is that they cannot let go.[Goodreads]

My Opinion:

Honestly, I didn’t find this book as compelling as the prior three. I started reading it with such high hopes, because Cole and Isabel were my favorite couple in the original trilogy, so I was so excited to read a book dedicated to them. Although there were some scenes that I liked and enjoyed, most weren’t very powerful or creative; I just found it to be a bit cliche.

What I liked:

Cole continues to be my favorite character. He is so sad and broken, but also so witty. I have a soft spot for characters like this.

Isabel and Sophia’s relationship. Isabel was such a snarky character, but her cousin’s patience and love for her went so beyond family duty. I just really liked how they evolved as family members and friends.

Cole’s friendship with Leon. Sometimes Cole was so carefree and unexpected. I really liked how he befriended his driver and how they learned so much from each other.

What I disliked:

The reality show theme throughout. I didn’t not enjoy the fact that Cole had signed on for an awful reality show. The person running the show was so obnoxious and over the top, but I suppose Stiefvater was just trying to go for things clearly L.A.

I felt that Isabel was a bit more whiny and complicated in this one. There were so many times she got upset or angry or sad for no apparent reason or for reasons that didn’t make any sense.

What I thought overall:

So while reading this book, I had Thanksgiving and pre-finals week and so many other things going on that I wasn’t able to document better details on my likes/dislikes, but overall I just didn’t think it was as up to par with the others. I thought it was trying too hard at being L.A.-esque and that got old and boring after awhile. Do I recommend reading it? Yes.I am still glad that I read it, but I thought it could have gone in a better direction. I did like the ending though.

If you do not know, I am participating in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Read-A-Long, hosted by Girl in the Pages, She Reads She Blogs, and CK’s Reading Corner. From November 15th until December 20th, all who are participating will be reading through all four books in the series. If you would like to join in, you can find the information here. Every Saturday, there is going to be a discussion topic. Today’s is: Baby It’s Cold Outside: Which Shiver character(s) warms your heart/inner fangirl.

So I really liked all of the main characters in this series. I felt they were all so tortured and needy that they all fit right into their relationships and friendships which each other, but it worked for the situation they were in. At first I thought that Sam and Grace would be my favorite couple hands down, but once I got to book two Cole St. Clair stole the show for me!

I suppose it could be because I have a soft spot for tortured bad boy characters, but Cole was just so complex. He tried to come off as such the cool, I don’t give a care guy, but once you tapped into his inner being you see that he really cares a lot and has a good heart. His relationship with Isabel, well sort of lack there of, and how he tried so hard to crack her and she tried to crack him, was just kind of perfect. I felt they were both so dry and sad that there was no one more suited for each other.

And what really made him my favorite were oh-so-witty remarks. He had the best quotes where sometimes I just couldn’t help, but actually laugh out loud!

If you do not know, I am participating in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Read-A-Long, hosted by Girl in the Pages, She Reads She Blogs, and CK’s Reading Corner. From November 15th until December 20th, all who are participating will be reading through all four books in the series. If you would like to join in, you can find the information here. Every Saturday, there is going to be a discussion topic. Today’s is: Werewolves 101: Your favorite representations and re-tellings of werewolves.

Disclaimer: In the past I have not really been into fantasy books, so I do not have too much knowledge on werewolves.

I know the classic story about how once a month when the moon is full people who have been bitten turn into ferocious monsters… blah blah blah.

I have to admit that I really liked Stephanie Meyer’s version of them in Twilight. I like how they can talk to each other and how they lived in a pack and how it was kind of a generations thing. Now, the imprinting thing was a little out there, but overall I liked their storyline.

BUT I will say that I have really enjoyed Maggie Stiefvater’s version as well. I think it is really interesting how they are changed as well as that it is (sort of) weather induced and how they can only send pictures to each other in the pack. I also find it interesting how they don’t remember anything about their human selves.

Then there is of course J.K. Rowling’s and Cassandra Clare’s version which are more like the original.

I am so excited that P4P made it through it’s initial month! It has been so much fun getting to know fellow bloggers and indulging in other book sites. I have received some great recommendations and have really started to feel connected. I know I haven’t been around much the past few weeks, but with Thanksgiving and finals I have just been super busy, but I am hoping to slowly catch back up.

I was introduced to Maggie Stiefvater through participating in the Wolves of Mercy Falls Read-A-Long and although it is not over yet, it has been so much fun to be a part of and I have found one of my new favorite series!

It was an awesome month and I can’t wait to see what is in store for December.

I logged in today and realized I hadn’t posted since the last week of November, which is practically a lifetime ago. For those of you who follow P4P, it is not dead. It just happens to be the week before finals. I am not normally a super studier, but I have a few classes where I really need to learn the material in order to get the grade I need, so that has been my top priority also with Thanksgiving and everything. Hopefully, I will catch up and get the site updated very soon.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday and is enjoying the Christmas season. I hope to be back at it once I get my tests out of the way. Thanks for sticking around. 🙂

WWW Wednesdays are hosted by Should Be Reading and is a meme where we discuss what we are currently reading, just finished reading, and hope to read next.

I have been enjoying the Wolves of Mercy Falls series and I am now officially on the very last one (so far!). Technically this one is a spin-off involving just two characters from the original three books, but it is still classified under the series name. So far I absolutely love this book. It is about my two favorite characters, Cole and Isabel. I loved them in the first three and was so thrilled when I realized they had a book to themselves. Their bantering is just too good and I could read about them all day… which I kind of do already.

The Wolves of Mercy Falls series has had be hooked from the very first word of Shiver. I wasn’t sure if I was going to like them, but as I read I fell in love with the characters and the portrayal of the werewolves and the town. The characters were just so likable and relate-able that I just couldn’t help but get sucked in. I would highly recommend this series, but I am super biased toward anything with a love story (which this has two)! I am extremely sad that the trilogy is over and I am about to be done with the spin-off as well, but it will definitely be a series I reread eventually.

Since I was just hooked on a fantastic series, I kind of want to take a break from continuing another one, so The Mortal Instruments and The Maze Runner are out. During the holiday season, I want to read a good Christmas-y/Holiday-y book… preferably with a feel-good love story/romance. If you have any suggestions, I would love to heart them.

Mutual, respectful, enduring love is completely attainable as long as you swear you won’t settle for less.

Title: Forever

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

# of Pages: 388

Published: July 12, 2011

Rating:

Synopsis:

then.
When Sam met Grace, he was a wolf and she was a girl. Eventually he found a way to become a boy, and their loved moved from curious distance to the intense closeness of shared lives.now.
That should have been the end of their story. But Grace was not meant to stay human. Now she is the wolf. And the wolves of Mercy Falls are about to be killed in one final, spectacular hunt.forever.
Sam would do anything for Grace. But can one boy and one love really change a hostile, predatory world? The past, the present, and the future are about to collide in one pure moment – a moment of death or life, farewell or forever.[Goodreads]

My Opinion:

So I have to admit that I didn’t like this one nearly as much as I liked the previous two, but it was a nice ending to a great series. I don’t know what it was about this book, but it just didn’t hold my attention as well as Shiver and Linger, but I was so ready to know how it ended that I breezed through the end.

What I liked:

I would just like to say again that Cole St. Claire stole the show for me. Once he was introduced, he instantly became my favorite! I just love reading his chapters and love his character in general.

“Are you high? Why are you never wearing a shirt?”“I sleep naked,” Cole said. He put both milk and sugar in my coffee. “As the day goes on, I put on more and more clothing. You should’ve come over an hour ago.”

The relationship between Cole and Isabel wasdynamic from the beginning. Bad broken boy meets sad broken girl equals to perfection.

“Cole,” I said, “do you think I’m lovable?”“As in ‘cuddly and’?”“As in ‘able to be loved,’” I said.Cole’s gaze was unwavering. Just for a moment, I had the strange idea that I could see exactly what he had looked like when he was younger, and exactly what he’d look like when he was older. It was piercing, a secret glimpse of his future. “Maybe,” he said. “But you won’t let anybody try.”

Cole’s voicemails were also just too great. He continuously makes me laugh with the ridiculous crap that he says.“Voicemail #1: “Hi, Isabel Culpeper. I am lying in my bed, looking at the ceiling. I am mostly naked. I am thinking of … your mother. Call me.”

“Voicemail #6: “So, yeah, I’m sorry. That last message went a little pear-shaped. You like that expression? Sam said it the other day. Hey, try this theory on for size: I think he’s a dead British housewife reincarnated into a Beatle’s body. You know, I used to know this band that put on fake British accents for their shows. Boy, did they suck, aside from being assholes. I can’t remember their name now. I’m either getting senile or I’ve done enough to my brain that stuff’s falling out. Not so fair of me to make this one-sided, is it? I’m always talking about myself in these things. So, how are you, Isabel Rosemary Culpeper? Smile lately? Hot Toddies. That was the name of the band. The Hot Toddies.”

“Voicemail #20: “I wish you’d answer.”

What I disliked:

The parents again. Grace’s parents have serious issues on how to raise a child. I think that the way Grace reacts is totally and completely justified. As for Isabel’s parents… I feel like it is reasonable that they would be at wits end due to the loss of their son, but I think that her father takes his hatred for the wolves a bit excessive.

What I thought overall:

Although I didn’t love it as much as I loved the first two, it was a good ending. I don’t want to spoil it, but I will just say that I approve of the ending. I am sad the series is over, but I am so so stoked to read the Cole spin-off. It was a fantastic series and I am so glad I was able to read it. Do I recommend reading it? Yes.